Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist, but It May Not Be Your Fault

www.sciencedaily.com...
Everyone’s a little bit racist, posits the song from the musical Avenue Q. But it may not be your fault, according to research in the latest edition of the British Journal of Social Psychology. In looking for the culprit as to why people tend to display tinges of racism, sexism or ageism, even towards members of their own group, a research team, led by the Georgia Institute of Technology, found that our culture may be partially to blame.

While previous psychological studies have shown that racism, sexism and ageism tend to be universal, a new study led by Paul Verhaeghen, professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Psychology, found that works in the American culture, namely literature, movies, TV, radio and the Internet, may contribute to the problem by exhibiting the same stereotypes that society works so hard to snuff out.

Very interesting research showing how vulnerable humans are to potential manipulation and conditioning and how big of an influence society and culture can have on one person's mindset.

We should really free ourselves from all these bad influences and think for ourselves otherwise we'll never be able to cooperate and survive together on this planet.I think that could only start with a change of system overall that is tailored around humanity as a hole to reach their maximum potential,something a Resource Based Economy would provide.

What do you guys think?

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Babies have been shown to have racist propensities.

Babies are racist

Everyone is at least a bit racist, but the smart one's don't admit it first.

reply to post by satron


I think that's on a different level since they do not understand the concept or meaning of racism.

Originally posted by satron
Babies have been shown to have racist propensities.

Babies are racist

Everyone is at least a bit racist, but the smart one's don't admit it first.

That article is the biggest compost pile I have ever read. Babies recognize features of those around them and respond to it. I.E a smile or a feature of their loved ones. Nothing to do with the colour of the skin of those around them. If you raised a white baby that interacted with all black babies, would they then have difficulty interpreting white babies faces? Such a misleading article.

There is actually a psychological term for stereotyping/ compartmentalising of individuals, its call "cognitive Miser"

Cognative Miser Wiki

So from this perspective, it really isn't anything new, one thing agreed however, is that we are all cognative miser's

reply to post by The_Oracle


I can disagree here I think all people suck and equally.

Most people will argue that they are not prejudiced, I guess I am no different. I am a Heinz 57, raised in a multicultural neighborhood, in a multicultural family. I grew up learning to love the people that love me and were kind to me and to distrust and dislike those that were mean, hateful, harmful and racist.

Their are people that I don't like, but it is because of what they have "shown" me they look like, not because of what I first see.

reply to post by NightSkyeB4Dawn


Some people are more aware of their surroundings, and that's what I propose,awareness.

Like most things, Racism is the sort of thing that lies behind those who most vehemently deny it.

We are ALL racist to some degree. Or at least bigoted.

Originally posted by The_Oracle
reply to post by satron

 

I think that's on a different level since they do not understand the concept or meaning of racism.

Yeah, it's the strangeness factor. If you are white and never been around a black person before (and vice-versa), you'd probably have reservations being around them until you felt comfortable with them. It's more like a survival thing more than anything, but it's a survival behavior that demonstrates preference of one race over another.

rac·ism    [rey-siz-uhm] Show IPA noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

You can't be a little bit racist. On this issue, it's all or nothing. You are either a racist, or you aren't.

According to the definition of racism, I am not racist. I acknowledge that races have different qualities and some of them may provide certain perks. This works full circle, each race has a different perk. However, I do not believe that any race is superior or should rule another. I don't hate any race. I make jokes once in awhile, but that is just humor.

Racism is a dangerous weapon. I think we should know the true meaning before we throw it around so recklessly. To say that you are a racist, you must fit the description in the dictionary.

Originally posted by LeTan

rac·ism    [rey-siz-uhm] Show IPA noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

You can't be a little bit racist. On this issue, it's all or nothing. You are either a racist, or you aren't.

According to the definition of racism, I am not racist. I acknowledge that races have different qualities and some of them may provide certain perks. This works full circle, each race has a different perk. However, I do not believe that any race is superior or should rule another. I don't hate any race. I make jokes once in awhile, but that is just humor.

Racism is a dangerous weapon. I think we should know the true meaning before we throw it around so recklessly. To say that you are a racist, you must fit the description in the dictionary.

Depends which dictionary, or which definition within the dictionary, you are focusing on.

Racism isnt just the belief that one race is 'better' than another'. That's essentially just bigotry.

Racism is the political system behind such sentiments, which enforce inequity by manipulating people's bigotry.

reply to post by stanguilles7


I must not understand the political aspect. I stay away from politics for the most part.

Would you give me an example of a how a political system would enhance bigotry to a level of racism?
I remember when I watched television, they would always portray certain races as being idiots or just in a spot of lower power.

Is this something you are talking about?

Originally posted by LeTan

rac·ism    [rey-siz-uhm] Show IPA noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

You can't be a little bit racist. On this issue, it's all or nothing. You are either a racist, or you aren't.

There are different levels. Take two people that are racist. While they are both racist, one doesn't mind the murdering of other people based on their skin color, while the other is against that.

Are they equally racist?

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by LeTan

rac·ism    [rey-siz-uhm] Show IPA noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

You can't be a little bit racist. On this issue, it's all or nothing. You are either a racist, or you aren't.

There are different levels. Take two people that are racist. While they are both racist, one doesn't mind the murder of other people based on their skin color, while the other is against that.

Are they equally racist?

edit on 9-6-2012 by satron because: (no reason given)

You never stated what makes the person who is opposed to the murder a racist. If he's a racist because he thinks that a certain race is inferior but does not support the murder of them, yes, he's just as racist as the person who supports it.

He still falls under the description. Racism is racism. You can't be a little racist just like you can't be a little pregnant.

reply to post by LeTan


One definition of Racism is that it is the political system that uses people's bigotry to maintain the status quo.

For example: A cop with bigoted attitudes towards blacks profiles and pulls over a car full of black people. The profiling is bigotry, but the fact it is done by an agent of the state makes it racism.The state benefits from this racism because it re-enforces the class/race divisions which keep the wealthy in power.

Make sense?

reply to post by stanguilles7


It makes sense. Thank you for elaborating on that. Looks like I took some of my own advice.

Racism is a burden. A heavy sense of responsibility looms over us as a people for letting this go unchecked for far too long.

How do we break this indoctrination?

Originally posted by FermiFlux

Originally posted by satron
Babies have been shown to have racist propensities.

Babies are racist

Everyone is at least a bit racist, but the smart one's don't admit it first.

That article is the biggest compost pile I have ever read. Babies recognize features of those around them and respond to it. I.E a smile or a feature of their loved ones. Nothing to do with the colour of the skin of those around them. If you raised a white baby that interacted with all black babies, would they then have difficulty interpreting white babies faces? Such a misleading article.

what if you raised 5000 white babies and 5000 black babies in a room, and see then, what would you see then, who would they gravitate too!

Such a misleading example!

Originally posted by LeTan

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by LeTan

rac·ism    [rey-siz-uhm] Show IPA noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

You can't be a little bit racist. On this issue, it's all or nothing. You are either a racist, or you aren't.

There are different levels. Take two people that are racist. While they are both racist, one doesn't mind the murder of other people based on their skin color, while the other is against that.

Are they equally racist?

edit on 9-6-2012 by satron because: (no reason given)

You never stated what makes the person who is opposed to the murder a racist. If he's a racist because he thinks that a certain race is inferior but does not support the murder of them, yes, he's just as racist as the person who supports it.

Why does it matter in my hypothetical situation?

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by LeTan

rac·ism    [rey-siz-uhm] Show IPA noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

You can't be a little bit racist. On this issue, it's all or nothing. You are either a racist, or you aren't.

There are different levels. Take two people that are racist. While they are both racist, one doesn't mind the murdering of other people based on their skin color, while the other is against that.

Are they equally racist?

edit on 9-6-2012 by satron because: (no reason given)

They kind of are,the only difference is that one takes it one step further with murder.That doesn't make it any more or less racist.